July 23/14 0:35 am - Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins: Stage 1

Posted by Editoress on 07/23/14

The cyclists from the 46th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins set off on a windy day, the first and longest stage of the week. After a beginning marked by several crashes, a second neutral start allowed many racers to rejoin the pack. Early in the race several attempts by cyclists from the national teams were made, but only after the 80th kilometre did two riders succeed in taking a significant lead on the rest of the pack. At the finish it was Rayane Bouhanni (France) and Magnus Bak Klaris (Denmark)arrived first and second, with a gap of more than a minute over the closest competitors.

A Well Decorated RiderFrance honoured its first position in the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) general ranking, by winning not one, but two spots on the podium. Léo Danes won a third place for France. However, Bouhanni stood out with a first place and the brown jersey for best cyclist in the general ranking, and an orange jersey for best time. It should also be noted that he is the brother of Nacer Bouhanni, road cycling champion of France and racer for the professional team FDJ.fr.

Several Teams to WatchDespite the fact that the France team is actually leading, the teams from Denmark and Morocco also shone during this stage. In addition to their second position on the podium, Danish racer Niklas Larsen won the blue jersey for best first year junior racer. As for the Moroccans, they once again proved their superiority on the hills, by finishing in the top 3 of all the King of the Mountain trials. This earned Abderrahim Zahiri the polka dot jersey for best climber.

Wednesday the Government of Quebec StageWednesday the racers will leave from the La Sarre Coliseum at 4:45 p.m., and head toward Amos, via Palmarolle and Taschereau. After 99 kilometres on the road, the cyclists will perform 3 laps of the urban circuit, to finish their journey in front of the cathedral.

Tour de l'Abitibi press release

All photos by Christian Leduc

Results from the first stage of the Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins, in Rouyn-Noranda, QC